My Love for Barry Bonds

Four years after the investigations began, Barry Bonds has been indicted and will probably cop a plea somewhere down the line. This is not surprising by any means because if you hunt someone or something for that long chances are that you'll find what you're looking for. As a die-hard Barry Bonds fan, I stand whole-heartedly next to one of my heroes even in his hour of dismay. Bonds is by no means a role model for behavior, ethics, or morality, but he does stand for something that I truly respect. Barry Bonds cares not what you, I, the fans, or even the government thinks of him. He is a true rebel, and not in some corny James Dean way. Bonds saw cheating in baseball all around him, and using the gift of moral ambivalence with which he was blessed, he decided to cheat alongside the McGwires and Sosas. He saw lesser talents becoming icons and once he leveled the playing field he showed what could be done when a truly great talent enhanced himself. All the while Barry stuck his middle finger high in the air and waved it at the media, the naysayers, and the Bonds haters. Kudos to that. What separates Barry from Giambi? One thing. Barry decided to lie to the government when he had immunity and carte blanche to say he did steroids. That's his main fault. He could have come clean about the drugs and not been indicted, but he lied, and now he's cemented his villified status. Early in life the FlyMaster learned two important lessons. The first was to always respect people but never fear them. The second was to never lie to people in nice suits or folks who have badges. Barry didn't get the second lesson and now he'll pay. However, I'll be with him the whole way. Barry Bonds is the heroic villian. A man blessed with great talent, an unwavering personality, and a keen perspective (slightly paranoid though it may be) of his place in history. Barry knew he'd never reach the pantheon of Ruth, Mays, and Aaron in the public's eye, but he continued to surpass all of them. Barry seems to have assumed the villian role with passion as if to say, "if this is going to be known as the steroid era, then I'm going to be the best steroid user of them all and show what you can do on this ***!" That's commitment. And now he'll pay for his commitment, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he's accomplished feats that his contemporaries couldn't even imagine doing even on copious amounts of drugs. Here's to you Barry, thanks for the years of enjoyment and the FlyMaster wishes you good luck on the road to the Federal Pen. We'll be in touch through memories, baseball cards, and other fans telling me how ignorant the FlyMaster is for supporting you. You were indicted, but all of your critics should be indicted on hypocrisy charges as they swooned over Big Mac and Sosa and then treated you like the inventor of cancer and the slayer of puppies. Long live Barry Bonds! Long live the villian! Long live the memories you've given! Watch your back in Pen, it tends to be a rough place. FlyMaster Sullen and Signing Off...For Now! www.sportsfly.com